How I Measure My Body Temperature Orally

[jzeno]

At first, you might be tempted to place your thermometer in a variety of spots because sometimes it can be kind of hard to record an accurate body temperature. I've found that the inside of my bottom gum, pressing the thermometer tip down and into the inside of the gum line (between the tongue and the inside of the gum, but pressing down and toward the gum and away from the body of the tongue) provides the most accurate and consistent result.

Press hard enough that there is a little discomfort and back away until it's just barely uncomfortable so you know that you are getting adequate pressure against the surface of your body and not exposing it to the air inside your mouth, which might affect the reading.

I've tried straight under my tongue, inside my gum and pressing toward the base of the tongue, and generally under the tongue all over and the highest and most consistent result I get is from the inside of the gum line with adequate pressure.

Eventually if you practice this technique, you'll see your temperatures are sometimes much higher than other places in your mouth and you're able to produce a consistent read again and again. Whereas the front of the tongue might read oddly low and then somewhat normal.

Happy measuring.

 

[Literally]

Thanks for this, @jzeno.